


I'm used to that (but I could get used to this)

by winter_hiems



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Body Image, Comfort, Comfort No Hurt, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gentle Kissing, Intimacy, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist Has a Crush, Kissing, Location: Alice "Daisy" Tonner's Scottish Safehouse, Love, M/M, Martin Blackwood Has a Crush, Martin Blackwood Has a Crush on Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Mutual Pining, Neck Kissing, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Past Mutual Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Requited Love, Requited Unrequited Love, Self-Esteem Issues, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives), Soft Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Soft Martin Blackwood, Tenderness, Touching, Wing Grooming, Wingfic, canon-typical trauma, soft, they're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 10:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30003255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winter_hiems/pseuds/winter_hiems
Summary: Jon hasn’t been looking after his wings. At the safehouse, he lets Martin groom them.(A Magnus Archives wingfic)
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 12
Kudos: 129





	I'm used to that (but I could get used to this)

Most people couldn’t fly. Being able to do more than glide depended on a lot of factors – wing size, weight, stamina. 

Martin had never had the option of flying – even with a wingspan as wide as his, he was too tall, too heavy – and he was okay with that, mostly. It felt safer, to stay on the ground. If he could fly, then he’d probably one day find himself high, high above the ground, completely isolated from everyone below him. The idea was both alluring and terrifying.

Still, he liked his wings. As far as plumage went, it was pretty okay. It wasn’t flashy like Tim’s iridescent blues and purples, or… Martin’s memory cut off. His mind was trying to remember what Sasha’s wings had been like, but all he knew was that they hadn’t been like his. The worst thing was that the not!Sasha hadn’t had wings at all, and somehow none of them had ever thought it strange.

Jon might have been able to fly. Even before the stress had winnowed him down to skin and bones, he’d been slender enough that he probably could have managed to get off the ground, if he’d had the strength. (Which was, admittedly, a bit doubtful.)

Martin could still remember in the early days of his crush on Jon, constantly being struck by the dark, rich brown of Jon’s feathers. He’d desperately wanted to see what Jon’s wings would look like fully extended, but he’d never had the chance. Jon never extended them fully – even when angry, the most he’d do was puff them up.

So that had been one more thing to pine about, wondering what Jon’s wings would look like in full display. Day-dreaming about brushing his fingers along Jon’s coverts, how soft they’d be. Not that Martin had ever had a hope in hell of Jon letting him touch his wings.

*

It was a good thing that both of them knew how to control their wings, thought Jon. Daisy’s safehouse wasn’t large – it probably had enough room for a person to fully extend their wings, but not much more than that. If either he or Martin were in the habit of waving their wings around like some people did, then they’d run the risk of hitting a wall.

Still, it could have been worse. They’d finished unpacking and Martin had managed to coax the small stove to life, warming the place up nicely.

After Martin had cleaned the soot off his hands, he turned to Jon. “Jon, I was wondering… could I groom your wings?”

Jon felt himself flush. “I – I…” He knew how his wings looked. It wasn’t as if he’d been taking care of himself much. The bald spots from the explosion in the Unknowing had grown over, but that was about all he had going for him. He knew full well that his feathers looked a mess – rumpled up and ragged after everything he’d been through, and the drive up to Scotland had only made things worse.

When was the last time he’d groomed them? He couldn’t actually remember. He remembered Georgie helping him out after Jude Perry had burned his hand and he couldn’t groom himself properly with the bandage in the way, and someone had probably looked after his feathers during the coma, but after that, he wasn’t sure if he’d groomed them at all. Christ, that was sloppy.

What made matters worse was the fact that Martin’s wings were always impeccable, the striped grey feathers all in order. Martin had always seemed at home in his wings, moving them with an ease that Jon had never been able to manage. His wings had always felt awkward, too much at risk of hitting something or getting hit.

But the feathers really did need sorting. And he was tired from the journey, and Martin was offering, and they were dating. Couples groomed each other’s wings all the time, this was no different. Yet it made him feel inadequate, too. Further proof that he hadn’t been taking care of himself in even the most basic of ways.

Jon sighed internally, and swallowed his pride. “Yes, Martin. You can groom my wings.”

They sat on the bed, Jon’s back to Martin, his wings open, and Martin began. “Just tell me if I pull too hard or anything.”

Jon tried and failed to repress the slight rush of panic that came with someone touching his wings. The last time he’d had anyone scrutinise his wings, it had been Nikola Orsinov running a hand through his secondaries, chattering about how she was going to make a coat from his skin and a cloak from his feathers.

Eventually, the feeling passed. Martin’s touch was nothing like Nikola’s casual violation of his boundaries. He worked his way through Jon’s feathers slowly, gently, carefully straightening feathers that were out of place.

Jon found himself relaxing into it, closing his eyes and letting the soft touches wash over him. Martin’s breath stirred his hair.

He hadn’t realised how much he’d wanted this. He’d known that he loved Martin for months now, but he had never really allowed himself to fantasize about what a relationship would actually look like when Martin was no longer tied up with Peter Lukas.

He’d known that he’d wanted them to date, but he hadn’t given a second’s thought to anticipating the intimacy of a relationship. Feeling Martin’s fingers brush through his coverts, the barest of touches to neaten everything up. They were so close, closer than he’d ever dared dream.

“I love your wings,” said Martin, drawing Jon out of his doze.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. I love the colouring, it’s beautiful. And your feathers are so soft, I –” Jon could picture the fond smile on Martin’s face, “I’m so glad that you’re letting me do this for you.”

Jon flushed. “Well, it – they were a bit messy, weren’t they?”

“…A bit.” Talk about an understatement. “Much better now.” Martin swept Jon’s hair aside and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. Jon’s breath hitched in his throat. “There. All done.”

“I – ah – thank you.”

“You alright?”

“Yes,” said Jon a bit too loudly. He took a steadying breath. “I’m just… it’s been quite some time since anyone was gentle with me, that’s all.”

Martin found Jon’s hand where it was resting on the bed, and placed his own hand on top of it. “Well, hopefully I can change that. It’s – it’s been a while for me, too.”

Taking care not to hit Martin with his wings, Jon turned on the bed so that he was facing Martin, and cupped Martin’s face with one hand. Behind him, Martin’s grey-banded wings flexed slightly.

Jon kissed him once, softly, slowly. “I’d like to change that too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Jon has Asian Brown Owl wings because I think they would suit him.
> 
> Martin has Spotted Eagle Owl wings, and he puffs them up in Full Orb when he’s angry.
> 
> Tim has Violet-Bellied Hummingbird wings because he could totally pull that off, and also because bi pride flag colours.
> 
> Sasha had raven wings for intelligence, but nobody can remember that.
> 
> Jon’s a bit awkward with his wings. To be honest, he’s awkward about a lot of physical stuff. But he’s not awkward about smooching Martin!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcome <3
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I am not making money from this work.


End file.
